Day 4 recap: Serbia clinch Novi Sad title, Lithuania in huge comeback for OT win
MUNICH (Germany) - The action resumed at the FIBA U16 European Challengers with the first winners confirmed on the penultimate day which also included multiple overtime triumphs.
Headlines:
- France, Lithuania, Serbia and Slovenia qualify for next year's FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup
- OT joy for Lithuania with France next in Skopje Final
- Unbeaten Poland, Germany clash to decide title in Sofia and remaining ticket to U17 World Cup
- Serbia overcome Slovenia to clinch Novi Sad title
- Hungary-Ukraine Final set in Sofia (19-25)
- Kosovo, Luxembourg to meet on final day in Pristina
Day 4 Standout Performers:
Skopje: Ernestas Matulevic (LTU) - 19 PTS / 16 REB / 4 STL
Sofia: Vito Perkovic (CRO) - 13 PTS / 14 REB / 2 BLK
Sofia: Martin Ude Kalu (GER) - 26 PTS / 7 REB / 2 AST
Novi Sad: Demir Dogan (TUR) - 20 PTS / 9 REB / 4 BLK
Novi Sad: Jan Vide (SLO) - 38 PTS / 5 AST / 14 FTM
Sofia (19-25): Ruben Prey (POR) - 21 PTS / 23 REB / 4 STL / 3 BLK
Sofia (19-25): Luka Alavidze (GEO) - 21 PTS / 7 REB / 8 AST / 7 STL
Pristina: Norik Binqe (KOS) - 22 PTS / 8 REB / 7 AST
Skopje Challenger:
Gameday 4 results: Lithuania came back from 18 points down to beat Russia in an overtime thriller as Ernestas Matulevic posted 19 points, 16 rebounds and 4 steals in their 84-79 triumph. Russia had been cruising into the Final with a 58-40 lead with 3:01 left in the third before Lithuania launched a stunning comeback. France booked their spot in the Final having eased past Romania once again in a 90-30 success.
Sofia Challenger:
Group B
8/10 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Poland |
3 | 3 | 0 | 100 | 246 | 216 | 30 | 82 | 72 | 6 |
| 2 |  Germany |
3 | 3 | 0 | 100 | 228 | 181 | 47 | 76 | 60.3 | 6 |
| 3 |  Croatia |
4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 | 289 | 289 | 0 | 72.2 | 72.2 | 6 |
| 4 |  Latvia |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 172 | 207 | -35 | 57.3 | 69 | 3 |
| 5 |  Bulgaria |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 204 | 246 | -42 | 68 | 82 | 3 |
Gameday 4 results: Poland improved to 3-0 with a hard-fought 80-76 victory over Bulgaria having poured in 35 points in the second before withstanding a late fightback and a 25-point haul from Stefan Mihaylov. Meanwhile, Germany also remained unbeaten with their third win after beating Croatia 81-71 as Martin Ude Kalu and Bompona Josue-Joseph Bonga combined for 49 points.
Novi Sad Challenger:
Group C
12/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Serbia |
4 | 4 | 0 | 100 | 317 | 247 | 70 | 79.2 | 61.8 | 8 |
| 2 |  Slovenia |
4 | 3 | 1 | 75.0 | 326 | 305 | 21 | 81.5 | 76.2 | 7 |
| 3 |  Turkey |
4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 | 302 | 282 | 20 | 75.5 | 70.5 | 6 |
| 4 |  Belgium |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 285 | 297 | -12 | 71.2 | 74.2 | 5 |
| 5 |  Israel |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 289 | 302 | -13 | 72.2 | 75.5 | 5 |
| 6 |  Czech Republic |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 243 | 329 | -86 | 60.8 | 82.2 | 5 |
Gameday 4 results: Serbia clinched the title on home soil with a 78-73 triumph over Slovenia in the winner-takes-all clash on the penultimate day as they held on to repel a 38-point showing from Jan Vide. Belgium ended their losing streak with an emphatic 94-63 success over Czech Republic as Lukijan Zecevic and Adedayo Polet shared 45 points, while Turkey recorded an 80-60 victory against Israel to improve to 2-2.
Sofia Challenger (19-25):
Group Z
2/3 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Cyprus |
2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0 | 125 | 122 | 3 | 62.5 | 61 | 3 |
| 2 |  Switzerland |
1 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 61 | 60 | 1 | 61 | 60 | 2 |
| 3 |  Slovakia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 61 | 65 | -4 | 61 | 65 | 1 |
Gameday 4 results: Hungary advanced to the Final with a 63-54 success in overtime against Portugal, despite 21 points and 23 rebounds from Ruben Prey. They will face Georgia on Saturday after they defeated Ukraine 82-62 behind an all-round display from Luka Alavidze, who finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals in the win.
In the 5-7 Classification Group, Switzerland edged out Cyprus for a dramatic 61-60 victory despite trailing by 11 points early on with their final game taking place against Slovakia on Saturday.
Pristina Challenger:
Group F
12/15 games played
| GAMES | GAME POINTS | POINTS | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | P | W | L | % | For | Agt | +/- | FA | AA | |
| 1 |  Kosovo |
4 | 4 | 0 | 100 | 440 | 127 | 313 | 110 | 31.8 | 8 |
| 2 |  Luxembourg |
4 | 4 | 0 | 100 | 313 | 195 | 118 | 78.2 | 48.8 | 8 |
| 3 |  Albania |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 218 | 288 | -70 | 54.5 | 72 | 5 |
| 4 |  Malta |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 159 | 290 | -131 | 39.8 | 72.5 | 5 |
| 5 |  Moldova |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 216 | 307 | -91 | 54 | 76.8 | 5 |
| 6 |  Gibraltar |
4 | 1 | 3 | 25.0 | 161 | 300 | -139 | 40.2 | 75 | 5 |
Gameday 4 results: Kosovo claimed their fourth consecutive win with a 103-46 victory over Albania as all seven players hit double figures, led by 22 points from Norik Binqe, while Luxembourg also moved to 4-0 as they earned an 88-41 win against Gibraltar. The two teams meet on the final day to decide the title. Meanwhile, Moldova earned their first win by beating Malta 53-41 behind an 18-point, 18-rebound double-double from Andrei Voitenco.
FIBA
